The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit has tabled its report for its inquiry into the 2021–22 Annual Performance Statements audits by the Australian National Audit Office.

Media release issue date: Wednesday, 18 October 2023

The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) has tabled its report for its inquiry into the 2021–22 Annual Performance Statements audits by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO). The Committee’s report focused on issues raised in the report, such as the impact of Machinery of Government changes, and the ANAO’s conduct of these audits, including the scheduling of these audits.   The Chair of the JCPAA, Mr Julian Hill MP said that “performance reporting may not be the most exciting of topics, but for public sector agencies charged with serious responsibilities and entrusted with spending billions of dollars wisely it really, really matters. Unlike financial reporting, which has been subject to ANAO audits for decades, performance reporting has been underdeveloped and under resourced.” “Plainly speaking, while Australians can trust the accounts of government departments as they are thoroughly audited, for too long the Parliament and the public have had no reliable way of knowing whether what agencies report in their performance statements is true or not. Do all those often mind-numbing KPIs and measures fairly represent what an agency does? Are there actually data sources underneath all the reports? Are they a fair measure of what’s been achieved, or did someone fudge the books?” “The ANAO’s 2021–22 Annual Performance Statements audits showed a clear improvement in the performance reporting and highlighted a number of key issues, such the lack of verifiable methodologies or supporting information for performance measures, as well as valuable examples of better practice.” Mr Hill said that “the Committee was concerned with the current need for performance statements audits to be requested by the Finance Minister before the ANAO can begin their work. This is an unnecessary process that can significantly delay these audits, and should be removed.” The Committee’s report makes four recommendations to improve the process and impact of performance statements audits. The Committee’s interim report and further information on the inquiry is available on the Committee website. Media inquiries Mr Julian Hill MP, Chair of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit on (03) 9791 7770 (Electorate Office). For background information Committee Secretariat 02 6277 4615 jcpaa@aph.gov.au For more information about this Committee, you can visit its website. On the site, you can make a submission to an inquiry, read other submissions, and get details for upcoming public hearings. You can also track the Committee and receive email updates by clicking on the blue ‘Track this Committee’ button in the bottom right-hand corner of the page.

The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) will hold a series of public hearing roundtables for its inquiry into the Annual Performance Statements 2021–22.

Media release issue date: Thursday, 27 July 2023

The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) will hold a series of public hearing roundtables on Friday 28 July 2023 for its inquiry into the Annual Performance Statements 2021–22. The JCPAA will welcome the Auditor-General and other representatives from the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO), in addition to the Department of Finance, and the entities included in ANAO’s 2021–22 Annual Performance Statements audits, to discuss the issues raised in that report. Committee Chair Julian Hill MP noted that effective performance reporting enhances the ability of the Parliament and the public to hold Government entities to account, stating that ‘the financial information of a given entity alone cannot determine if publicly funded programs are achieving their intended outcomes. Performance statement auditing is vital for this assessment’. He further added ‘this new function of the ANAO to audit performance statements has been fully supported by the Committee since its pilot stages and will assist and improve the transparency, reliability, and quality of performance reporting across the Commonwealth. The Committee looks forward to discussing the ANAO’s findings and deliberating on the future scope and purpose of these audits.’ Details for the public hearing are: Date: Friday, 28 July 2023 Time: 10.00am – 1.15pm Venue: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra The hearing will be broadcast live and will be accessible from the Parliament House website at https://www.aph.gov.au/News_and_Events/Watch_Read_Listen. Further information about the inquiries is available on the Committee website. Media inquiries Mr Julian Hill MP, Chair of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit on (03) 9791 7770 (Electorate Office). For background information Committee Secretariat 02 6277 4615 jcpaa@aph.gov.au For more information about this Committee, you can visit its website. On the site, you can make a submission to an inquiry, read other submissions, and get details for upcoming public hearings. You can also track the Committee and receive email updates by clicking on the blue ‘Track this Committee’ button in the bottom right-hand corner of the page.

The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) has commenced two inquiries into important areas of public sector accountability as part of its examination of Auditor-General’s reports.

Media release issue date: Thursday, 9 March 2023

The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) has commenced two inquiries into important areas of public sector accountability as part of its examination of Auditor-General’s reports. The Auditor-General's reports on Defence Major Projects and on Audits of the Annual Performance Statements of Australian Government Entities are critical accountability mechanisms for the expenditure of public funds and operation of Government Departments. The Committee Chair, Mr Julian Hill MP, noted that the performance statements audits are a new function of the Australian National Audit Office intended to drive improvements in the transparency, reliability and quality of performance reporting across Government. The inquiry into the Audit of Annual Performance Statements for 2021-22 (Auditor-General Report No. 13 of 2022-23) is a chance for the JCPAA to examine the performance and annual reporting of six Government Departments and to consider the Auditor-General’s findings in the first year of the performance statement audit process. The inquiry into the Major Projects Reports (Auditor-General Report No. 13 of 2021-22 and Auditor-General Report No. 12 of 2022–23) will also allow the JCPAA to review the cost, progress and technical attributes of major Defence acquisitions over recent years. “This is the is the first opportunity that the Committee has had since the 2022 Federal Election to consider the Major Projects Reports, so there are two years’ worth of reports to be examined in this inquiry,” Mr Hill said. “We will also be specifically considering the scope and guidelines for Defence Major Project Reports to ensure that they are fit for purpose into the future.” The Committee invites submissions addressing the terms of reference of these inquiries by Friday, 21 April 2023. Details of the inquiries – including the terms of reference and upcoming public hearings – will be made available on the Committee website. Media inquiries Mr Julian Hill MP, Chair of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (03) 9791 7770 (Electorate Office) For background information Committee Secretariat 02 6277 4615 jcpaa@aph.gov.au